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Ancient China Vs Ancient India Essay

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Ancient India and Ancient China attempted to create orderly societies through two major belief systems — Hinduism in India and Confucianism in China. There were many similarities and differences between these two belief systems. Both belief systems had social hierarchy. However, these social hierarchies had different ways of placing different people. Both Hinduism and Confucianism had motivation for moral behaviors, but these motivations varied for each belief system. Both Ancient India and Ancient China had social hierarchy. In Ancient India, the caste system was implemented. The caste system divided citizens into five classes or castes. The Brahmin priests were at the top of the social pyramid, performing sacrifices and rituals. Kshatriyas, …show more content…

In Ancient India, followers of Hinduism believed that the caste each person is placed in in their next life is based on whether that person followed their duty in their current life, or their dharma. If one follows their dharma, they will be placed into a higher caste in their next life. However, if one does not follow their dharma, they will be placed in a lower caste in their next life. The ultimate goal is to become one with the god Brahman; this process is called moksha. Moksha can only be achieved by Brahmin, the highest caste. The hope of reaching a higher caste in their next lifetime kept the Indian people in order and prompted them to behave in a proper manner. Because the people of Ancient India truly believed that following their dharma would lead them to a better life in the near future, they were more willing to accept the caste they were in during their current life. Unlike the ancient Indians, followers of Confucianism in Ancient China focused more on earthly matters and what was happening in the moment. The Chinese wanted to avoid shame. Family was very important in Ancient China; Chinese citizens did not want to dishonor their family. To bring dishonor to one’s family was considered unlawful and wrong. The Chinese also believed that people must be led by a fair leader and thought moral leaders would inspire their followers to be moral as well. The ancient Chinese also believed in following

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Politics and social class in Classical China was quite different compared to Classical India. At this time, politics in the ancient time was mostly monarchy and created a strong bureaucracy. Monarchy in Classical China were mostly based upon of the fact of the dynasties. Some famous emperors from this time was Qin Shi Huangdi from the Qin Dynasty and Wu Ti from the Han Dynasty. Qin Shi Huangdi centralized government by putting his people and the system was based on loyalty, trust.

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Buddhism in China DBQ A little before the Tang dynasty there was the Han dynasty where Confucianism was a staple of daily life and government. When the Han dynasty dissolved and the Tang dynasty took authority. Buddhism began to spread widely all over China. Buddhism was met with all types of responses: some saw buddhism as a threat to Confucian family values, while some saw Buddhism as a way to disregard worldly pleasures and luxuries that would only bring them harm, and lastly some mixed on the concept of Buddhism had an issue with the ascetic lifestyle led by its followers. One of the responses to Buddhism in China was that it was thought that Buddhism was a threat to Confucian family values.

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In the Chinese society men were to be respected and held dominance over women. Men performed tasks to provide for their families and the duty of women was to remain at home and care for the children.

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Following the fall of the Han dynasty came the decline of practicers of the Confucian philosophy because of the downfall of the elite class and a centralized government. Buddhism, a religion with it’s roots from north India, has found its presence in China during the time when trade, along the silk roads, was crucial in all parts of Eurasia. Although the spread of Buddhism in China was greeted with devotion from new converts who supported the religion by spreading it and combining their cultures with the religion, it also was rejected by the ruling elite who opposed the spread of the religion that impacted China for the next following centuries.

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By calling Buddhist followers Barbarians in an angry tone, it challenges the ideas taught by Buddha, Confucianism protects their culture (Document 5). The emperor of China, Emperor Wu in the year 845 CE would address the people of China showing how the Mandate of Heaven would incorporate Confucian ideas showing these were better for China. Angrily he challenges Buddhism and he orders the people of China to follow the ideologies of the emperor. In China, Buddha was never spoken of before the Han dynasty so because of this no one should follow Buddhist ideals, because it will continue to ruin the Chinese country (Document 7). Buddhism during the Tang Dynasty was seen as a threat to the traditional lifestyle of the Chinese society, and thus receive constant attacks from the emperor and

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The caste system is divided into four main categories- Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. The Brahmins who were mainly intellectuals are believed to come from Brahma’s head. The Kshatriyas, warriors and rulers, came from his arms. Vaishyas, traders, were created from his thighs. And at the bottom were the Shudras came from Brahma’s feet and did all the factory jobs.

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Buddhism is an ancient religion that originated from India and gradually traveled to China through cultural diffusion . Many of the Chinese people liked Buddhism, which was also referred to as a “barbaric religion” according to the traditionalist. The Chinese saw their society as sophisticated and superior to any of the new ideas coming from the advance trade routes throughout their country known as the Silk roads. Due to the fall of the Han Dynasty and it’s chaos that it created, Buddhism was a peaceful distraction that gave people optimism when their government failed because of corruption and political disunity. Before Buddhism religions such as Daoism and Confucianism were popular in China, because of Buddhism, followers of the traditional

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Jerress C. Askew Professor Nicole Ennis History of World Civilization 1 January 27, 2018 Compare and Contrast the Origins of Confucianism, Legalism, and Daoism With the birth of their civilization, the ancient Chinese wanted to know what role human beings played within society and the universe as a whole? This question and many others help develop the “hundred schools” of ancient philosophy. In the beginning of Chinese civilization, they believed that the universe comprised of two primary energies, good and evil, light and dark, male and female. In other words, everything had an opposite and finding the balance would lead to a prosperous life and ultimately a prosperous society.

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Both Han China and Classical India used social structure systems as a method of political control. The caste or class a person was born into in either China or India, determined your position and status, unless under extreme circumstances would a person be lowered or raised in a caste or class. However, how people were placed into a specific social structure were very different. Han China developed a social structure based upon literacy, and Classical India introduced a caste system based on “occupation”.

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The purpose of this was to show people how to be in harmony with their place in life. Legalism is a ruling made by Shi Huangdi, who was a strict ruler in china. The purpose of this ruling was to get the people of china to follow the rule, and if they didn’t there was a very harsh punishment. Although confucianism and legalism have some similarities, but the differences between the two are amazingly clear.

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In conclusion, although the religions of ancient Egypt and China differentiated on the belief of exactly who they worshiped. In comparison both civilizations were dependent upon the religious moral values implemented by a their divine being, bodily preservation, and the belief of Afterlife

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Compare and contrast the roles of Confucianism and Buddhism in both China and Korea until roughly the 7th century Introduction East Asia is the largest emerging economy of the world at present, and this phenomenon can be traced back to its cultural, demographic, political and social traditions and identities. Yang and Tamney (2011) said religion was an integral part of cultural which played an extremely great role in enriching people’s spiritual life, guiding people to do good (p.132), and strengthening the state authority and legitimating their rule by instilling people with the politics-oriented beliefs from the perspective of the ruling class. Confucianism and Buddhism played a dominant role in the feudal society in both China and Korea and they exerted far-reaching impacts on both countries until today. As religion, both Confucianism and Buddhism served similar purposes in maintaining the social orderliness and stability, despite the differences between them in the religions beliefs and their impacts. In this paper, the roles of two mainstream religions, Confucianism (including Neo-Confucianism) and Buddhism in China and Korea until roughly the 7th century are compared and contrasted in various aspects.

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Confucianism thought that a ruler should be like a father by setting good examples for the people of China. He also thought that a ruler should be honest, good, and wise in order for the people to follow him. “But he said the best way to rule was through an honorable government and right relationships”

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Different periods throughout China’s history have different names, known as dynasties, for the diverse positions within its society. Theoretically, all of the periods are similar, with the government and military officials ranking high in the hierarchy, and the average everyday people being under regular Chinese law. Throughout China’s history, the society has been organized into a hierarchic system of socio-economic classes, known as the four occupations. The four occupations system seems to have become distorted after the commercialization of Chinese culture during the Song Dynasty. Even though the social rankings within the country are not as predominant as they once were, the people living within the country still know their “place” within the society.

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